Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-10-24
LsBOR PROBLEM POINTS ar THE IL
GDNDl NHOPN


teryiew was brought about. the tdr"crtG
says, through reference in its columns ito
the discharge of niue union labor voters
from the employ of the company. There
had been considerable talk. caused by in
terested parties. about the cutting down OF
wages by the firm. On this point, Mr..
Bauer said:
We have not cut down the wages of any
of the men in our shops. We have simply
abolished piece work. From the beginning
OF the present season up to saturday. De-
tober lSt. We have increased the pay Of IS
men. from one 10 five cents each per hour.
amounting To a total of S26.05 per day.
| y to October 18th, We have increased the
pay of 23l in the same proportion, making
a total of SIS OF per day. II is true We
have taken away all piece work. except in
the foundry. In that department the men
are held responsible for all work spoiled in
the casting, receiving pay only for that
which is good. We could not apply this
rule 10 ali departments of the works as the
services of too many inspectors would be
required. and then again 81 much OF the
work is spoiled by some of the men that if
they Were required to pay for il they would
run in debt Ia the firm.
As Ia the rate of wages paid. Mr. Baucr
said to the idrociiic man:
We are paying the highest rates Of any
shop IN the cIiy. There i not a man work
Ing for Us who receives less than thirteen
cents pc. hour. The thirteen cent men aye
few in number and are only the loves
grade of lsburrrs: they are men. in fact.
whom We would rather not EMPLOY al ten
cents per hour il there was any chance tor
them Ia get work III any other shop The
work they do could be- just as well and
cheaper done by boys. but We do not care
10 put boys in competition with men who
have families Ia support. If any man is
not satisfied with what We are paying him.
If he can DO better anywhere else h. is al
liberty Ia GO. We will not put any ohS;a-
Gle in his way. but we claim Ia do rs well
by our men as any concern in the city. II
a man thiaks he is worth more than the
price he is rated Al. he i free 10 come to us
and ask for an increase. and If he is worth
more we will give IT to him.
Mr.. Bauer said. concerning the firms
policy a. 10 the employment of hands. a.
follows:
We do not care anything about 4 mans
politics or religion: II he suits uS and does
the work he is paid for doing. that is all we
want of him. We do no: ask man when
he comes here tor job if he j. Free
Mason. an odd Fellow ur a Knight of La
hor; his social relations do not concern us
do not think that all of the men who
were discharged here on October 1st were
Knights of Labor. and was not aware that
they were [ Mon Labor voters.
Concerning the cause for the discharge Of
the men. Mr.. Bauer said:
There was cause for their discharge.
and they would. in every case. have been
informed of what that cause was
had they applied at the Office for informa-
ton. The trouble with them was that after
they had been put on 10 hour work they cut
down the quantity OF work they
were dolrg 10 an amount all
out OF proportion to the dif-
ference between their hour rate of wages
and what they had previously been SLOWED
10 make At their piece-wOrk price We
would have found no fault if the production
mad been reduced 10 any reasonable degree
say from one hundred and forty Ia one
hundred and twenty pieces. but We did OBJ |
Iect when the reduction was from one hun |
tred and forty Ia sixty. seventy or eighty !
pieces. as was the case with some Gf the |
men discharged.
OF the men discharged. three or four |
have been in the habit of going into saloons /
and other places of public resort and there |
making themselves conspicuous by their |
,oi>terous threats against IN. firm.
As 10 the present margin of profit in the |
eaper business. and the expense of manag-
le the business and putting the products
n the market. Mr.. Bauer explains as
ollOws:
Five years ago our own company Sold
finders for S210. that now bring only SlS.,
o low has the competition of other build
RS brought the price down. Then we
onld have better afforded TO pay the men
iN dollars day than to pay them now one
.Ollar and fifty cents or two dollars. The
oet of labor and raw material to he worked
~ does not. by any means. cover all of our
Npense. There is the correspondence. ad
ertising. commission TO agents. shipping.
nd other essential incidentals 10 placing
he machine on the market that all 90 to
well the items Of expense. and to cut down
sgitimate profits. There are not the enor-
I
lie seem To- SUPPOSE.
As We copied into our columns the Gin
innati EnqHjrCr'S account of Mr. War
er'S Washington house. and IFS alleged
ost, We copy from the -idrocdtC Mr.. Bau-
Rs statement in reference to the matter:
The repOr; was recently circulated
trough the papers that Mr.. b. II. Wanier
h,,iI ;,,t !
rgton. ID. {. Now we know that Mr. War
rrs house did not cost one fourth of that |
mount At the same time the story was
rculated that General Bushnell WAS erect
" a $3.50. 00G mansion. and great hue
nd cry was made that this money had been
rung from the workmen in their employ :
ent. and had been taken out of the profits
the firm. but this was not true. Mr.. War
ar did not draw che cent from the com
Any. He went into little real estate spec :
alton in Washington and made his money {
ere. Neither did General Bushnell take !
~ money out Of the firm tO build his man
on with.
The following ntterance by NJ. Bauer
ioHld prove instructive to such persons as
q in the habit of writing anonymous let !;
rs: =,
Some time ago | received an anonymous !
tier through the mail. threatening my life :
made il my business 10 find out the author
that letter. In just one day and half
succeeded in tracing the communication =
It's source. | found out the suiIor of Il
q letter and also the person whom lie got s
write il for him. for h. did not write il :,
m.eif. did not trouble myself any more :
'out il: but few days afterward a X. oG -
committee waited on me. and disclaim- =,
2 all responsibility for the letter or sym
thy in any manner with the contents Of u
the purport OF which had by some II
Fans reached their ears. they asked me {
tell them the name Of the man who \
ncocied it, promising 10 make him leave =
wn. simply replied 10 them: Gentle +,
an. you can md out the name "f the s,
thor of that letter BY taking the time and :
ng 10 the same trouble and expense that p;
Id. but do not think the man is respon- :,
he for what he did" -
They probably never ascartauad who
= man was. for they did not make hm ca
We town. at least. he is still in the city. IN